The Dive Watch Connection

. . . which is basically an SKX 007 case with SELs, ceramic bezels, sapphire crystal and drilled lugs.

Interesting.

https://youtu.be/qsCpvbw9L4U

nice, and price seems right... I wish him luck

Looks great, I'd buy one.

Nice starting point for a mod.

Is that cool?! Or what Vic?! ..Wow, hadn't heard about this. Thank you !
What's nice is you can see he has evidently been putting a lot of thought
into this, and that the Islander pays tribute to such a timeless watch.

Looks nice, and easy to read, and has a little edge to it's personality.
Love the name, and how this is evidently just the beginning for his
watches ! ..THX again !!!

It's a cool mod.

Marc is a great guy. I hope it’s a huge success for him.

I don't understand what makes this very direct copy compelling...

matt.wu wrote:I don't understand what makes this very direct copy compelling...

My guess is that it’s because the SKX is discontinued.

It appears he’s using Crystal Times cases and doing the kind of mod that many would do themselves. It seems a reasonable alternative to the Seiko branded stuff in the same price range.

I really thought it was going to be more expensive than that. Not sure how I feel about it though. It is what Seiko should have done but if they did it would have a 6R15 and cost $1k.

matt.wu wrote:I don't understand what makes this very direct copy compelling...

To me, it’s only compelling if you are going to mod it. It already has most of the usual mods done already.

matt.wu wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 24, 2019 12:01 pm

I don't understand what makes this very direct copy compelling...

I view it at as a non-so-subtle jab at Seiko in the wake of the "new" Seiko 007 replacement with 100m WR and a push in crown : "If you're not gonna make the watch that Seiko buyers have been clamoring for for years, then I will".

He's gonna sell a bazillion of these things.

matt.wu wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 24, 2019 12:01 pm

I don't understand what makes this very direct copy compelling...

A lot of people, myself included, like the SKX a lot. I’ve always thought of it as a classic design, even the Seiko hands. A very comfortable watch, with a great case execution. But there were those few shortcomings, the 7S26 shake n bake movement, undrilled lugs, the tinny bracelet. I’ve even been thinking about what it would cost me to build one up from scratch, correcting its weaknesses. Now, I know, $299.

With the “real” SKX going away in favor of the 100 meter Seiko 5 iteration, this would really fill a niche for new SKX fans.

sorry, too bill hader for me, couldn't make it past 20 seconds

The fact that these cases, bezels, crystals, crowns, and movements are all available from Crystal Times does seem to make his “own watch brand” a bit easier to do. Maybe he’s making his own stuff, but I doubt it. Design your own dial, assemble, sell, enjoy profit. Seems pretty straightforward.

For $299 I'd still rather have a NAFT. I wish him well, but I just don't like what I perceive as a copy with perks.

I think as a mod they are cool, it's a bit of a stretch to call it a watch brand when, as has noted, it's all off the shelf parts. As a full upgrade modern SKX it works and I like the 12 hour bezel best.
I think a no date version would have given a clean dial and something could have been done with the bezel edge, I never liked the Seiko standard version. With these 2 tweaks it could have been more credible as an own watch brand.
But good luck anyways

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

I guess if this business model is good enough for Bill Yao, Eyal Lalo and Gunther Whathisname at Steinhart, it's good enough for Marc at Island.

Hell, that guy at Deep Blue has been selling SKX knock offs (the "NATO Diver"!) for years.

I have a lot of nice Seiko OEM dials and hands. Maybe I’ll pick one up and build something fun.

A pepsi 12hr bezel would be nice.

DenverBuff wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 24, 2019 2:01 pm

I guess if this business model is good enough for Bill Yao, Eyal Lalo and Gunther Whathisname at Steinhart, it's good enough for Marc at Island.

Hell, that guy at Deep Blue has been selling SKX knock offs (the "NATO Diver"!) for years.

Isn’t Gunther’s last name “Steinhart”?

Ryeguy wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 24, 2019 4:32 pm

DenverBuff wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 24, 2019 2:01 pm

I guess if this business model is good enough for Bill Yao, Eyal Lalo and Gunther Whathisname at Steinhart, it's good enough for Marc at Island.

Hell, that guy at Deep Blue has been selling SKX knock offs (the "NATO Diver"!) for years.

Isn’t Gunther’s last name “Steinhart”?

Yes. "Steinhart" is German for "whomeverthefuck".

I think.

DenverBuff wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 24, 2019 10:09 pm

Ryeguy wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 24, 2019 4:32 pm

DenverBuff wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 24, 2019 2:01 pm

I guess if this business model is good enough for Bill Yao, Eyal Lalo and Gunther Whathisname at Steinhart, it's good enough for Marc at Island.

Hell, that guy at Deep Blue has been selling SKX knock offs (the "NATO Diver"!) for years.

Isn’t Gunther’s last name “Steinhart”?

Yes. "Steinhart" is German for "whomeverthefuck".

I think.

hoppyjr wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 24, 2019 12:59 pm

The fact that these cases, bezels, crystals, crowns, and movements are all available from Crystal Times does seem to make his “own watch brand” a bit easier to do. Maybe he’s making his own stuff, but I doubt it. Design your own dial, assemble, sell, enjoy profit. Seems pretty straightforward.

I suspect it's part of the process, both as a test and a learning opportunity, on the way to producing more of a unique model down the road. It's a good way to test the water before you make big mistakes or overcommit to a certain business model. If this makes LIW a lot of money then we'll probably see more daring designs and more proprietary parts down the road.

TimelessLuxWatches wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 25, 2019 9:14 am

hoppyjr wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 24, 2019 12:59 pm

The fact that these cases, bezels, crystals, crowns, and movements are all available from Crystal Times does seem to make his “own watch brand” a bit easier to do. Maybe he’s making his own stuff, but I doubt it. Design your own dial, assemble, sell, enjoy profit. Seems pretty straightforward.

I suspect it's part of the process, both as a test and a learning opportunity, on the way to producing more of a unique model down the road. It's a good way to test the water before you make big mistakes or overcommit to a certain business model. If this makes LIW a lot of money then we'll probably see more daring designs and more proprietary parts down the road.

Both Dagaz and MK II started as Seiko mod shops. Two data points that seem to cancel each other out.